Key-ring



B. H. MELENDY.

Key-Ring.

' No. 225,626. Patented Mar. 16,1880.

a INVENTOR:

26/? BY W WITNE$SES ORNEYS.

' MFEI'ERS, PHOWWAPMER. WASNING'LON. D C- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

BRYANT H. MELENDY, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN.

KEY-RING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,626, dated March 16, 1880. Application filed December 16, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BRYANT HUTCHINSON MELENDY, of Battle Creek, in the county of Calhoun and State of Michigan, have invented a new and Improved Key'Ring, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved key-rin g which can be easily opened and locked securely.

The invention consists of a flat ring a part of which is straight and provided with a cut, thus forming two ends and permitting the ring to be bent sidewise for admitting the keys. One of the ends of the ring is provided with a small shoulder, and a clasp is pivoted to the other end, which clasp swings over the end with the shoulder and looks it.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view of my improved keyring, showing the same locked. Fig. 2 is also a side of the same, showing the latch raised; Fig. 3, top edge view of the same, showing it locked. Fig. 4 is an end view of the same, showing the latch raised and the other end of the ring bent sidewise for admitting the keys.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

A flat ring, A, part of which is straight, is provided with a cut, B, forming the two ends 0 and D of the ring. The cut is diagonal to the straight part of the ring, and is slightly curved at the ends, so as to avoid sharppointed angles, which would be liable to tear the clothes. A diagonal out has the advantage that the keys cannot fall out of the ring as easily as when the out is radial.

The end 0 of the ring A is provided with a small shoulder, E, and the end D has a clasp, F, provided with a projecting lug, G, pivoted to it. The clasp F has two shanks, which ex- T tend to the end of the shoulder E, so that when the clasp is closed the shoulder E can pass into the space between 'the two shanks of the clasp and the upper edges of the end D of the ring. The shoulder E and the lug G will be in one straight line, as is shown in Fig. 1.

The name of the owner can be engraved or stamped onto the ring, which is made wider at the part opposite the straight part for this purpose. The ring will then serve as keyring and check.

The operation is as follows: The ring being closed and locked, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the latch F is raised in the direction of the arrow (1 until it is in the position shown in Fig. 2. The end 0 of the ring is then bent sidewise, as shown in Fig. 4, and the keys can be passed onto or taken from the same. It is then locked by the above movements in the reverse order.

This key-ring remains securely locked and there is no danger of losing the keys from the same. It will preferably be made of metal, but can be made of any other suitable material.

The ring can be made entirely circular without the straight part.

I am aware that key-rin gs have been notched at the ends and provided with a pivoted clasp,

and that it is not new to use double springjaws having clasps pivoted on rivets passing through springs and both sides of each clamp; but

What I claim is A flat ring having a straight portion diagonally cut to form two ends, one of which is shouldered at E and the other provided with a pivoted clasp, F G, as shown and described.

BRYANT H. MELENDY.

Witnesses:

JOHN M. STANSBURY, ASAHEL 0. SMITH. 

